Nutcracker with rack and pawl adjusting means



Deco 1949 s. BLOOMFIELD 2,490,615

NUT CRACKER WITH RACK AND PAWL ADJUSTING MEANS Filed Oct. 22, 1945Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NUTCRACKER WITH BACKAND PAWL ADJUSTING MEANS Samuel Bloomfield, Wichita, Kans., assignor to0. Earl Hovey, Kansas City, Mo., as trustee Application October 22,1945, Serial No. 623,639 1 Claim. (01. 146-13) 1 This invention relatesto nut crackers of the hand operated type and has for its primary aimthe provision of such a tool, wherein is incorporated effective andpositively acting means for limiting the crushing action of the cracker,to

the end that the meat of the nut being acted of a limiting nature, thestarting point of which movement is controlled by the size of the nutbeing cracked.

Other objects of the invention including one selected form of embodyingthe same in a hand operated tool, will appear during the course of thespecification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a nut cracker made in accordancewith the present invention and showing one jaw thereof in longitudinalsection to reveal the movement-limiting structure.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the nut cracker showing the jawsthereof at the extreme end of their movement toward the nut as it isbeing treated.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2 andlooking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view taken on line IVIV ofFig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line VV of Fig. 2; and.

Fig. 6 is a similar cross sectional view but taken on line VIVI of Fig.2.

Nut crackers of the general type embodying this invention have beenheretofore employed, but no means other than the discretion of theoperator has been utilized to limit the crushing action of the jaws ofthe cracker so that the meat of the nut is protected.

In the form of the invention chosen for illustration, adequate andpositively acting structure is shown for preventing destructive actionto the meat of the nut, which structure is automatically set when thenut is introduced between the jaws of the tool.

2 A pair of articulated laws I!) and I2 respectively, are joined by linkM to which jaws It! and i2 are pivotally connected by pintles l5 and I8.

Jaws it and iii are yieldably urged apart by spring 23, the characterwhereof is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which is coiled aboutpintles it and i8 for support as the laterally disposed fingers engagethe inner proximalfaces of the two jaws.

Jaw l is tubular in cross section, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, but hasa longitudinal slot 22 provided therein for the reception of an arm 24formed as-illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. This arm 24 is provided with ashoulder 26 to prevent accidental displacement with respect to itsnormally housed position within hollow jaw It, and while shoulder 26 isat one end of arm 24, it is pivotally supported by a pin 28 at the otherend thereof.

This pin extends transversely across law it from one leg thereof to theother, and it is about the axis of this pin that arm 24 is moved when anut 38 is introduced for cracking.

A spring 32 having one end anchored on pin 28 and its opposite endanchored as at 34 to pawl 40, holds said pawl 40 in the retracted normalposition.

Jaw I n is provided with opposed slots 36 formed in each of two opposedside walls and a transverse pin 38 supporting pawl 40 is slidablysupported within these said slots.

Pawl 40 is tapered to a point 42 movable into engagement with one of anumber of teeth 44 provided along the inner face of jaw I2. This pawl 40is likewise bifurcated to present a pair of legs straddling arm 24,which legs are joined by link 46 to slide along the upper edge of arm24, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

An attenuated notch 48 formed. in arm 24 extends inwardly from itsforward end in the fashion shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in addition toslidably entering slots 36, pin 38 extends through notch 48.

The structure just defined and including arm 24 and pawl 40 withassociated parts, constitutes the means for limiting the movement of thejaws to a prescribed path after the nut to has been introduced betweenjaws I 0 and I2.

In operation, jaws l0 and I2 are yieldably held in an extended or partedcondition by spring 20, and when nut 30 is introduced, it engages thelower edge of arm 24 which is elevated or moved back into the hollow jawID to engage link 46 and swing the pointed end of pawl 40 into one ofthe notches 44, depending upon the diameter of nut 30, and therefore,the distance between jaws In and 12. In such condition, the parts are asillustrated in full lines of Fig. 1. Spring 32 has held pin 38 at theforward end of the slot during this setting operation.

Inward pressure on the free ends of jaws l0 and I2 will crack nut 30 asthe jaws are moved together a distance allowed by the length of slots36. When pin {)8 has, reached the rear end of; Slot 36 pposi ts. pointeeianme. the parts will be as shown in Fig. 2. Nut 30 will have beencracked by a fracturing operation on the shell thereof, but furthermovement of jaws I9 and 12 toward each other cannot occur to qrltth. ormutilate the kernels of the nut. The resiliency of finger 4! permitslink 46 to trayel from the position shown in dotted lines 9t 1, to the.position illustrated in Fig. 2, while pin 38 mo ye s from one end to theother of slot 36;

Pawl 48 serves to limit the inward movement of jaws Ill and i2 and inthe event further crushing action is necessary, all. that need be doneis e. r ea t e at jus d crib l short movement will be. permitted by thestructure interconnecting jaws It} and I2, and therefore, fullprotection of the nut meats is afforded. Qbviously, the size of the. nutdetermines the position of pawl ltinteeth it, and no special at:

hti ne d be s r the s t n m ans by the operator, other than through themere introduc tion of the nut between jaws l0 and I2,

-When the crushed nut is "remoyed'from between jaws it and 12-, arm 24will return to a normal position with shoulders Z- against the innerwall of jaw Ill. The fleiiible finger 4'} will straighten and spring 32will draw pin 38- to the forward end of slot 36 where it remains until anut is introduced between arm 24 and jaw l2 to again swing the upper endof pawl 4!]. around the axis. of pin 38 tobring. point 42-intoengagement with a notch 44.

Having thus, described theinvention, what 4 claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

A nut cracker of the hand operated type com prising a pair of elongatedjaws articulated at one end and adapted to receive a nut to be crackedtherebetween; a toothed rack on the innermost face of one of said jawsadjacent said one end thereof and; extending longitudinally thereof; apawl. swingably and, slidably mounted on the other of said jaws andextending toward said rack for engagement with the teeth thereof as thejaws are moved together whereby to limit movement of said; jawstogether, the extent of said movement of the jaws being dependent uponthe tooth Qfeeis reek hat is ng by said p a d an arm swingably carriedby said other jaw and engageable with said pawl for swinging and slidingand thereby varying the position of the latter with respect to said rackas the arm is swung, said arm being disposed for engagement with andmovement by said nut to be cracked when disposed between the jaws and asthe jaws are moved toward each other to crack the nut, whereby the:

positioning oi said pawl is determined by the size oi nut being cracked,said arm having parts,

capable of yielding after the jaws have been moved against the nut tooperate the arm and position the pawl ior engagement with said rack,

whereby to permit further movement of said jaws The following referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date L,041,531 Wachowiez Oct. 15, 1912 1,436,571 Bokor Nov.21, 1922

